


Two of the Five

by First_Duchess



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Color Blindness, Fluff, Literally only rated M because Ed likes to swear during his inner monologues, M/M, Mild Language, Parenthood, RoyEd Week 2019, Slice of Life, probably
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-13
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-08-20 08:18:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/First_Duchess/pseuds/First_Duchess
Summary: There were a few rules that applied. First, it didn’t matter how early you met your destined. The youngest person recorded to show color after meeting their destined was sixteen, and it was accepted as common knowledge that sixteen was when one was “of age” for that next stage in their life. Second, it had to occur via touch, skin-to-skin. Brushing their jacket with your fingertips didn’t count, nor did bumping shoulders. Something like a handshake was a good example, as long as there were no gloves. And lastly, though Edward assumed this wasn’t a real rule, it always seems to occur when least expected.





	Two of the Five

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 of RoyEd Week 2019! A short cute little story. Prompt: color blindness.
> 
> Title is in reference to our five major senses.
> 
> Enjoy!

Edward remembered it clear as day, sitting on his mother’s lap, when he was first told about the world.

Everyone started out seeing shades of gray, she said. Eventually, you’ll be able to see the world in all of its beautiful colors. He supposedly had the most beautiful hair she had ever seen with eyes to match. She would smile whenever he asked what a color was like, what it _felt_ like, and she would say that he would know in due time, and she couldn’t wait to be there when it happened.

That day never came as they dug her an early grave when he and his brother were young.

He still had questions as he got older, and Granny Pinako filled in the blanks. In order to see color, you had to meet one of your destined few. They could be down the street, across the world even, but you will never meet both at the same time. She said this was because when you lost your destined, your color faded, but when you united with a new destined, the color would return. Or something. Edward didn’t find much sense in the idea of having a “destined”, much less a few of them.

There were a few rules that applied. First, it didn’t matter how early you met your destined. The youngest person recorded to show color after meeting their destined was sixteen, and it was accepted as common knowledge that sixteen was when one was “of age” for that next stage in their life. Second, it had to occur via touch, skin-to-skin. Brushing their jacket with your fingertips didn’t count, nor did bumping shoulders. Something like a handshake was a good example, as long as there were no gloves. And lastly, though Edward assumed this wasn’t a real rule, it always seems to occur when least expected.

Ed had too much on his mind, too much to do, too many things to tend to. He didn’t even have time to dwell on his “destined”, or who they might be or where they would come from. He didn’t even care to fathom if it was a man or a woman as he was so blatantly focused on his only task, which was retrieving his brother’s body and righting his wrongs. All their hardship, the heartache, the risks, none of that held a candle to some stupid sounding theory about “true love” or some shit.

The years came and went, tears were shed, blood had been spilled, and the Promised Day had came to an end. Everything he worked for was attained and he could finally feel at ease. He lost his alchemy, but that held no weight to the relief he felt as having his brother’s body in the flesh back in his arms. To give Alphonse back what he had lost brought him so much peace that not much else bothered him. That is, until he had returned to Resembool and was heading out by train. Winry was seeing him off, and he went on some tangent about equivalent exchange, half of his life for half of hers. In retrospect, it made sense. Who else would he be spending his life with other than her? But they hugged, and he knew their faces touched, and he still sat on that train heading into Central with nothing but gray around him. He saw it in her eyes, too. That look of sad disappointment, knowing that the world wasn’t going to be kind to them in that regard. Maybe it was for the better. Life had funny ways of working.

Edward remembered heading off the train and straight to the bastard’s office, not wanting to spend one damn minute still enlisted. He had his bag in one hand and his resignation paper in the other, trudging up the front stairs knowing that it would be the _last_ time that he _had_ to walk up those stairs. Some part of his heart ached, and he didn’t know if it was from sadness or from closing a chapter in his life. He figured he would realize the causation sooner or later.

Stepping into the bastard’s office was nothing out of the ordinary, although he did end up realizing that shaking hands and exchanging brief hugs with the Mustang Team wasn’t as easy as he thought it would be. These men (and woman) had watched him grow, supported and stood by him the best way they could, and looked out for him and his brother in their own special way. And he would be eternally grateful.

Edward decided to have his conversation over resigning in private behind closed doors. He and the Colonel talked over the days that had passed. The bastard had asked him his plans after leaving, and Ed’s honest response was, “As long as I’m not dead, anything is probably better than being here working for you”. He remembered seeing something flash across the older man’s face but discarded the notion. He sat his watch and letter down on the desk, went to leave and stopped mid-turn as Mustang rounded the desk and held out a hand with a small mumbled “until next time.” Ed looked at the hand and then the man holding it out surprisingly, then gave a small snort and said “later rather than sooner” before putting his hand in the other’s.

Only to snatch it back like he had touched fire itself.

The colors rang so loud in his head as they began filling in the room. So _that’s_ what green is like! The sun is _really_ yellow! Those shit uniforms are a blue that _actually_ isn’t too terrible. Mustang’s hair is _solid black_. My hair is _gold_. Shaking Mustang’s hand let me see!

He paused mid thought, looked at the older man, and Mustang had the same look on his face. Utterly stupefied, completely dumbfounded, excessively befuddled. Really fucking confused.

And Ed turned on his heel and walked out the door like nothing happened.

It took about six months for him to get his shit together and go apologize to the bastard. He was in such a slump and apparently nobody knew but the both of them what had occurred that day. He would have thought the man would have told his right-hand woman. Then again, he didn’t tell his brother, either. From there they had a long talk about expectations and just because people _said so_ didn’t mean that they _had_ to try. But they did try, because after all, curiosity killed the cat, and satisfaction damn well brought it back.

Seven and a half years later in the present, Ed sat at the kitchen table, cup of tea in one hand and a book in the other. Some rapid footsteps were his only warning before a little girl clambered into his lap. He gave a light chuckle, “You know, Sarah, it’s hard to read past all that hair of yours.”

The girl with thick, dark brown hair in question turned and gave a big grin, laughing, “Dad, you said you’d take me to the library after breakfast today!”

“And I know a certain little girl isn’t dressed to go to the library, is she?”

She pouted, batting her eyelashes, and those big, innocent, red eyes of hers were going to be the death of him he was sure, “But why can’t I just go to the library in pajamas?”

“The same reason why your other daddy can’t go to work without wearing his uniform. It’s expected of him, and it’s expected of you. Now go change and brush your teeth and we will leave as soon as you’re ready.”

The little girl hopped off his lap with a huff, running out the kitchen and down the hall, her brown hair bouncing with all of its curls. Ed sipped his tea, humming in remembrance at the day he and Roy toured Ishval to cite what needed to be done. A little girl had caught their eye, no more than two, curled up next to a fluffy white dog. They had asked all over town about her for the next few days, and the only answer they got was that her parents had left her behind. The poor girl didn’t have a name, or at least couldn’t recall one. When he and Roy decided on Sarah, he gave Winry a call, and she had been so touched that she cried.

Four years later, here they were, proud parents of a brilliant six-year-old, all other condescending and judging eyes be damned. People wondered if Roy did it for his image, or if he had abducted her or some random shit like that. Truthfully, they fell in love when they saw her, and although the talk of kids had never came up before, they both immediately came to the same decision to take her home. The four-legged white beast named Alex (as per their daughter's suggestion) stretched out underneath the table with yawn, almost as if to show appreciation to have been brought home too. Truth be told, it wasn't up for debate, because the girl wouldn't go anywhere without him.

Sarah bounced back to the kitchen not long after she had left, wiggling her tooth with her tongue. “Dad, I have my first loose tooth! Can we go show daddy later? You said he wouldn’t be home until late tonight, right? I have to show him now!”

Ed smiled warmly, “Possibly. I’ll have to give him a call to see his schedule. I know he’s in charge of some upcoming renovations for his building. Something about changing the colors of the curtains and carpet.”

His daughter furrowed her thick brows together in thought, scrunching up her freckled nose along with it, “Dad, how come I can’t see ‘colors’? You talk about how beautiful everything is all the time.” She puffed out her cheeks, “I wanna know too!”

Edward laughed softly, standing and walking to his daughter, crouching and ruffling her hair and smiling, “You’ll know in due time, and I can’t wait to be there when it happens.”


End file.
